Could a retired school teacher from Shropshire really be on the cusp of taking up J.K. Rowling’s mantle?The final Harry film has left fans searching for a new literary thrill, and Catherine Cooper’s series of bookslooksset to fill the void for both booksellers and Hollywood .

Catherine’s first book, The Golden Acorn, was the overall winner at the inaugural Brit Writers’Awards in July 2010.Full of twists and turns, it sees the hero, Jack Brenin encountering talking ravens, mystical prophecies and magical creatures and exploring mythical landscapes. The book is an entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author and has been a huge hit on Amazon’s Kindle with nearly 150,000 downloads. (now over 500,000)

The sequel, Glasruhen Gate, was published in March 2011, followed by book three, Silver Hill, book four, The Lost Treasure of Annwn, and in 2013, book five, The Oak Lord.Readers, especially in the USA, are lapping Cooper’s work up and praise for her books is abundant.

Infinite Ideas has recently signed a five-book deal with Cooper to publish the entire Jack Brenin series andhas optioned movie rights for The Golden Acorn with Los Angeles based Delve Films.

David Grant of Infinite Ideas says, “We’re thrilled by this partnership with Delve.It’s a testament to the word-of-mouth interest that this book has gained. Our own online and e-book campaigns have proved incredibly effective. The Golden Acorn, with its beautifulmix of mythology and magic, has really struck a chord as the outstanding Amazon reviews demonstrate.”

So maybe with the boy wizard disappearing into the distance, it’s time for JKR to step asideand let Catherine Cooper and Jack Brenin take centre stage.

Infinite Ideas, publisher of The Golden Acorn, Catherine Cooper’s prize-winning novel for 8 to 12 year olds, has optioned motion picture rights to Los Angeles based Delve Films Inc. The Golden Acorn was the astonishing overall winner of the Brit Writers’Awards in July 2010 and Infinite Ideas has signed a five book deal with Cooper to publish the entire Jack Brenin series. The Golden Acorn has been a huge hit on Amazon Kindle with nearly 75,000 downloads in the last four months, and overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon. The sequel, Glasruhen Gate, was published in March 2011 and is already a top 100 children’s bestseller on Kindle.

Full of twists and turns, talking ravens, magical books and mischievous Spriggans, The Golden Acorn is an entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author.

Isaac Testerman, founder of Delve Films, is upbeat about the acquisition: ‘We are very excited about the potential that The Golden Acorn presents for film. With the success of movies like Harry Potter, we know there is a huge audience for films like this, and we believe the story told in the Jack Brenin series will continue to charm children and adults alike as we take it in this new direction.’

David Grant of Infinite Ideas says, ‘We’re thrilled by this partnership with Delve. It’s a testament to the interest that this book has gained through word-of-mouth and our own online and e-book campaigns; it also demonstrates the growing importance of the Brit Writers’ Awards. The Golden Acorn, with its beautiful mix of mythology and magic, has really struck a chord as the outstanding Amazon reviews demonstrate.’

Catherine Cooper was delighted when Infinite Ideas’ Publisher, Richard Burton, called her with the news. ‘I don't really know what to say except I'm thrilled and extremely excited,’ she said. ‘The prospect of my story being made into a film is a dream come true. Thank you to everyone who is making this possible.’

Delve Films is currently producing four major motion pictures including the big budget adaptation of the Myst video game/novel franchise. Delve’s production partners are Oscar winning producers Mark Johnson (Rain Man, Galaxy Quest, Chronicles of Narnia) and Hunt Lowry (Last of the Mohicans, Donnie Darko).

The National Literacy Trust has chosen The Golden Acorn as a guided reading books for KS2 children.

COMING SOONTHE FIFTH ADVENTUREIN THE JACK BRENIN SERIES

For those of you who haven't heard the newsCatherine won the Brit Writers' Award in the 'Stories for Children' category and then went on to winBrit Writers' Awards Unpublished'Writer of the Year 2010'

A special thank you to photographer Mike Yip who has given me permission to use some of his raven photographs for the 'Raven's Fact File' page.

click on the raven to find out more

THE GOLDEN ACORN, GLASRUHEN GATE, SILVER HILL,THE LOST TREASURE OF ANNWN, THE OAK LORD, ANDTHE BOOK OF DRAGON LOREARE ALL AVAILABLE ON AMAZON KINDLE